Bill's Bloggins

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11

Thursday, August 25, 2005

The Universalist Heresy?

"In doctrine, unity; In opinion, liberty; In all things, love.

I am getting very frustrated with so-called orthodox Christians calling Universalism a heresy. I don't understand how anyone can consider the following five verses andstill say that they are not saying that the scope of Christ's salvation does not extend to all of mankind.

Now keep in mind that I am fully aware that there are ways to get around the universal scope of the individual verses. I have ways of getting around the verses that are anti-universal. My point is that the plain meaning of these five verses taken together argues for Universalism.

I can also understand how someone with much greater intelligence than I have can understand how these verses teach that all are not saved by Christ's work on the cross, but I would much rather be called stupid than excluded from fellowship as a heretic.2 Corinthians 5:18,19

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

1 Timothy 4:10

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God,who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

1 John 2:2

and He Himself isthe propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Romans 5:18

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.